Themes: Punishment
Punishment is a recurring theme in The Walking Dead. It is the infliction or imposition of a penalty as retribution for an offense, commonly in the form of imprisonment, torture, or death. It is sometimes conflated with revenge, although it is usually more formal and less driven by emotion. Occurrences Comic Series *Jim believes he needs to punish himself for leaving his family behind. (Comic Series) *Thomas Richards is sent to prison for an unknown crime (most likely murder). (Comic Series) *Andrew is sent to prison for drug possession, distribution, and robbery. (Comic Series) *Axel is sent to prison for armed robbery. (Comic Series) *Tyreese kills Chris as punishment for killing his daughter, Julie. (Issue 15) *Thomas Richards is planned to be executed for the murders of Rachel and Susie Greene. (Issue 18) *Michonne is raped by the Governor, partly due to her biting his ear. (Issue 29) *Dexter is sent to prison for murdering his wife and her lover. (Comic Series) *The Governor decapitates Tyreese in retaliation for not being let in. (Issue 47) *Lilly Caul kills the Governor as punishment for forcing her to kill a baby. (Issue 48) *Gabriel feels he should be punished for abandoning his parishioners. (Issue 63) *Rick's group kill The Hunters as punishment for their acts of cannibalism. (Fear The Hunters) *Rick executes Pete for killing Regina. (Issue 77) *Negan kills Glenn in retaliation for the deaths of his men. (Issue 100) *Negan forces Carl to sing to him and show his eye socket to him, as punishment for killing six of The Saviors. (Issue 105) *Negan burns the faces of some of his followers, with an iron, for sleeping with any of his wives. Some known victims are Dwight and Mark. (Issue 105) *Negan kills David for attempting to rape Holly. (Issue 117) *Rick punishes Negan by incarcerating him in the jail, giving him a life sentence. (Issue 126) *Maggie executes Gregory for poisoning her. (Issue 141) *Though Negan's original life sentence is suspended after his actions in The Whisperer War, he is still exiled as punishment for his past crimes. (Issue 169) *Anthony Keith is beaten to a pulp by Jerome and his fellow Commonwealth officers for attacking one of them. He later dies from his wounds. (Issue 183) *Mercer is imprisoned for plotting against Governor Milton. (Issue 187) *Pamela Milton is imprisoned after being ousted from power, though this is partially for her own safety. She is released later that day by Rick. (Issue 191) *Sebastian Milton is imprisoned for life for murdering Rick Grimes. (Issue 192) *Carl Grimes is tasked with replacing Hershel Greene's walker that he killed earlier, although he was originally going to receive a fine for destroying Hershel's property. Instead of complying, Carl later kills all of Hershel's other walkers, too, and is promptly arrested after returning from his messenger run. He is exonerated by Michonne, however. (Issue 193) TV Series *Shane attacks and beats Ed as punishment for abusing Carol. (Tell It to the Frogs) *Jim believes he needs to punish himself for leaving his family behind. (Vatos) *Oscar is sent to prison for breaking and entering. *Axel is sent to prison for armed robbery. *Big Tiny is sent to prison for an unknown crime. *Andrew is sent to prison for an unknown crime. *Tomas is sent to prison for an unnkown crime. *Daryl tortures Randall. (Judge, Jury, Executioner) *Merle tortures Glenn. (When the Dead Come Knocking) *Merle is detained by The Governor as punishment for lying about Michonne's death. (Made to Suffer) *Daryl is detained by The Governor as punishment for being a part of the attack on Woodbury. (Made to Suffer) *The Governor handcuffs Andrea to a chair in his workshop as punishment for trying to escape Woodbury. (Prey) *The Governor beats Milton as punishment for helping Andrea, eventually stabbing him and causing him to reanimate. (Welcome to the Tombs) *Rick banishes Carol from the prison for killing Karen and David. (Indifference) *The Governor decapitates Hershel as punishment for believing Rick lied to him. (Too Far Gone) *The Claimers punish those who break their rules. (Season 4) *Dan is punished and disemboweled for nearly raping Carl Grimes by Rick.(A) *Bob is captured by Gareth and the other Terminus survivors and has his left leg amputated from the knee down and cannibalized as punishment for the loss of Terminus and fellow residents during the rescue mission. (Strangers) *Noah is punished by Dawn Lerner after lying about accidentally killing Gavin Trevitt. (Slabtown) *Beth Greene is punished by Dawn after trying to escape Grady Memorial Hospital. (Slabtown) *Pete Anderson is executed by Rick Grimes for killing Reg Monroe. (Conquer) *Negan punishes Rick's group for the deaths of many Saviors by bashing in the head of Abraham Ford. (Last Day on Earth) *Negan punishes Rick's group for Daryl's violent outburst after Abraham's execution by killing Glenn Rhee by bashing his head in with his baseball bat Lucille. (The Day Will Come When You Won't Be) *Negan forces Carl to sing him a song and show his eye socket to him, as punishment for killing two of The Saviors. (Sing Me a Song) *Arat cuts Rosita's cheek/kills Olivia as punishment for lying about who made the bullet. (Hearts Still Beating) *Benjamin from the Kingdom is unintentionally killed as punishment for the Kingdom not meeting its requirements in their offering to the Saviors. (Bury Me Here) *Negan kills David, a fellow Savior, for attempting to rape a captive Sasha Williams. (Something They Need) *The Saviors (under Simon's command) wipe out almost all of the Scavengers, for siding with Rick. (The Lost and the Plunderers) *Negan kills Simon for attempting to usurp him, killing the Scavengers and for recklessly risking the lives of Saviors in the attack on the Hilltop. (Worth) *Negan is imprisoned by Rick Grimes for his atrocities towards the groups he subjugated and also to be a symbol of progress towards restoring society. (Wrath) *The Saviors are stripped of all firearms and forbidden from using them due to their past crimes. (Season 9) *Maggie executes Gregory by hanging for attempting to murder her. (A New Beginning) *Maggie imprisons Earl Sutton for an unspecified amount of time for attempted murder. (A New Beginning) *Maggie allows Earl Sutton out of his cell, but under armed supervision as he is not yet trusted because of his crime. (The Bridge) *Justin is kicked out of the construction camp by Rick for his behavior. (The Bridge) *Oceanside executes several Saviors including Justin and Arat for their massacre of Oceanside's men and boys above ten years old.(Warning Signs) *Henry is imprisoned at the Hilltop for drunk and disorderly behavior. (Evolution) *Lydia has been punished multiple times by Alpha for being "weak". (Season 9) *Sean and Helen are murdered by Alpha for challenging her leadership. (Guardians) *Multiple members of The Coalition have been executed by the Whisperers. (The Calm Before) *Alpha stabbed one the Whisperers for seeing her "weak". (The Calm Before) Video Game *Lee is incarcerated by the law for murder. (Season 1) *Lee can kill Andy and Danny for their acts of cannibalism. (Determinant) (Starved For Help) *Lilly kills Carley/Doug, or attempts to kill Ben trying to punish whoever had been stealing supplies, even though Ben was the real thief. (Long Road Ahead) *Lilly can be abandoned for her murder of Doug/Carley. (Long Road Ahead) *Justin is sentenced to prison for an unknown crime. (Vince's Story) *Vince is sent to prison for murder. (Vince's Story) *Danny is sent to prison for rape. (Vince's Story) *Jerry is sent to prison for fraud. (Vince's Story) *Marcus Crabtree is sent to prison for an unknown crime. (Vince's Story) *Roman can kill Roberto for trying to steal supplies. (Shel's Story) *Shel can kill Stephanie for trying to steal. (Shel's Story) *Clementine is hit by Carver for eavesdropping on his conversations with Tavia and Troy. (Determinant) (In Harm's Way) *Reggie, Jane and Mike are kept in the yard of Howe's Hardware as punishment for disobeying Carver's rules. (In Harm's Way) *Carlos is ordered to smack his daughter by Carver in order to discipline her after she talked over Carver's speech. (In Harm's Way) *Carver beats Kenny up for his perceived role in the group's escape attempt. (In Harm's Way) *Carver shoves Reggie off of the top of a building as punishment for poorly overseeing Clementine and Sarah's chores. (In Harm's Way) *Kenny beats Carver to death as punishment for what he did to his eye and murdering Walter. (In Harm's Way) *Jane shoots Troy in the privates and leaves him to get devoured by walkers for helping keep her incarcerated and supporting Carver's group's methods of enslavement. (In Harm's Way) *Kenny beats Arvo close to death for the death of Luke. (No Going Back) *Clementine can execute Kenny after he kills Jane. (No Going Back) *Clementine can abandon Jane after discovering her deception. (No Going Back) *Randall punishes Michonne (Determinant) and Greg when interrogating them. (In Too Deep) *Michonne later punishes Randall by torturing him through crushing his hands in a vice and beating him heavily when Pete restrains him. (What We Deserve) *Michonne can have Paige shoot Norma as punishment for Jonas/Gabby killing Berto. (What We Deserve) *Javier can execute Badger or leave him to turn for murdering his niece Mariana. (Above The Law) *Conrad can kill Badger or leave him to turn for murdering his girlfriend Francine, and for having his home overrun with walkers. (Above The Law) *Tripp can kill Badger or leave him to turn for murdering Maríana (Determinant), murdering Francine, and having his home overrun with walkers. (Above The Law) *Joan and Clint punished David and tried execute him for betraying to group. (Thicker Than Water) *Clementine and A.J. are exiled from the Boarding School after Marlon's death. (Suffer The Children) *Abel is imprisoned by the Boarding School's members for attacking the school. (Suffer The Children) Dead Reckoning *Leon Basset puts Robb Spanner in a holding cell for behaving disorderly. (Chapter 1: Domestic Disturabnce) *Shane Walsh puts Gary Taylor in a holding cell for shooting his daughter's boyfriend and resisting arrest. (Chapter 3: Habeas Corpus) Social Game *For not giving Kimmie to his group and for stopping him from raiding Mauricio's family, Harlan and his men attack the hero's group, later killing Nathan. Novel Series *Tara Chalmers forces Brian Blake, Philip Blake, Penny Blake, and Nick Parsons out of the apartment for Philip's rape of April Chalmers. (Rise of the Governor) *Philip tortures Sonny and Cher for being a part of his daughter's murder. (Rise of the Governor) *Joshua Lee Hamilton is exiled for killing Chad Bingham. (The Road to Woodbury) *The National guard members are forced to fight in the arena for their totalitarian regime over Woodbury. (The Road to Woodbury) *Sam the Butcher is forced to fight in the arena for his murder of Josh. (The Road to Woodbury) *Brian forces Martinez, Lilly, and Dr. Stevens to chop dead bodies as punishment for their mutiny. (The Road to Woodbury) Category:Themes